Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 2-17-2015

Washington Times, February 17, 1915:

Fans [in Philadelphia] stand amazed at the official announcement from Connie Mack that J. Franklin Baker, the famous home run slugger, hero of every world’s series he has played in except the last, has quit baseball.
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[Connie Mack says] “There has been no disagreement over salary terms with Baker. He has just simply decided to quit, that’s all.”
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Baker’s real reason for quitting baseball is that he prefers to remain on his big farm at Trappe, Md. Mrs. ...

Zito back with A’s part of Beane’s next movie plot | CSN Bay Area

Here’s your feel good story of the spring.

The FanGraphs Top 200 Prospect List | FanGraphs Baseball

Kiley McDaniel’s Top 200 list. Some good work. I particularly like the grouping presentation.

Bob Feller Museum in Van Meter, Iowa will become City Hall

“Some people would show up, but not that many, not enough to run the museum,” said a board vice president, Steve Feller, the oldest of Bob’s three sons and an architect who designed the museum. “We tried to get football players, baseball players, guys we thoght would draw people from Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota. It just didn’t work.”

So last fall, the museum’s members - including Feller’s widow, Anne - unanimously approved a plan by the board to close the museum and sell the building to the ...

After 20 seasons, Giambi calls it a career

On Monday, the 44-year-old Giambi took the final step in a storied career, announcing his retirement from the game of baseball. The former designated hitter and first baseman had stints with the A’s, Yankees, Rockies and Indians, evolving from an MVP-caliber slugger in his prime to a clubhouse leader and bench player in his final two seasons in Cleveland.

Farewell to the Giambino…

The Summer of Bill Murray

If you didn’t know better, you wouldn’t believe it all happened in the space of about five weeks in the summer of 1978. But it did happen. In those five weeks, Bill Murray played professional baseball and established himself as a bona fide movie star and the Grays Harbor Loggers – representing the twin cities of Aberdeen and Hoquiam, Washington – posted the best winning percentage in America and won the Harbor’s only professional sports championship in living memory.

Fun oral ...

ESPN: Maier’s Glove Is Up For Auction

Unique memorabilia opportunity:

The glove Jeffrey Maier used to catch Derek Jeter’s tying home run against Baltimore in the eighth inning of the 1996 American League Championship Series opener at the original Yankee Stadium will be auctioned. Heritage Auctions said Monday the glove will be put up for bids on Saturday in New York. The company did not identify the current owner, who it said had purchased the glove from Maier.

Top 200 Prospects: The Process and Introduction | FanGraphs Baseball

Kiley McDaniel is doing some good prospect work over at Fangraphs. In this article he discusses his process of building Fangraphs’ Top 200 list.

Munenori Kawasaki on mission in Blue Jays return

The always quotable Munenori Kawasaki had an interview in the Star today.  Highlights:

“I’ve been really working on my lower body — not my butt, but the area around my hips and hip joints. The idea is to increase the range of motion so I have the foundation to make better plays on defence and take better at-bats. The result might be a bigger looking butt, but you should stop looking there and watch the way I am moving now.”

[...]

“No one in Japan has ever heard of Indianapolis, but ...

With 2017 All-Star Game in Miami, Baltimore’s conspiracy theories need re-examining

...So I’m not buying what MLB is selling: the idea that the Orioles’ legal entanglement over Mid-Atlantic Sports Network TV-rights fees with the Washington Nationals and MLB is not at least a contributing factor to their wait to host the All-Star Game again. That just doesn’t ring completely true to me…

The full meaning of signing a minor-league deal | FOX Sports

CJ Nitkowski talks about what a minor-league deal really means.

Yankees should get behind their biggest star | FOX Sports

There is one way for A-Rod to save face…hit. I know it’s not likely but, if he does, Yankees fans memories will be short.

Playing with ‘Moncada money’ | FOX Sports

While I agree $20-$30 million is where Moncada’s value should be, all it takes is one team to go big.

Just the other day, an executive told me that he expected Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada to receive a signing bonus of $40 million to $50 million—€“ meaning that the total outlay, including a 100 percent tax, would be $80 million to $100 million.

Other executives, however, doubt the numbers will go that high. And when you do the math, a $40 million bonus does sound like a stretch for a ...

Derek Jeter won’t attend Yankees’ Opening Day

Because he will be attending Bob Sheppard’s funeral instead.

The captain won’t be tossing this year’s ceremonial first pitch. Derek Jeter plans to be far away from the Bronx when the Yankees begin the regular season against the Blue Jays on April 6.

“I think actually I’ll be out of the country,” Jeter told SiriusXM on Saturday, when asked where he’d be for the Yanks’ opener.

In an interview launching a new weekly satellite radio show dedicated to his venture, “The Players’ Tribune,” Jeter ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 2-16-2015

New York Tribune, February 16, 1915:

“Don’t look any further, for I am the mascot you want,” wrote Babe Shiels, of The Bronx. The committee appointed by Damon Runyon, of “The American,” took the advice and Shiels was chosen yesterday to help Bill Donovan revive the Yankees.

There will be no trouble in distinguising the players from the mascot next season. Shiels is very small. He is shorter than [5 foot 7] Fritz Maisel.
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[Third place finisher Joseph] Livingston’s statement of his ...

Ranking Major League Baseball’s managers entering 2015 season - The Boston Globe

Nick Cafardo ranks the managers.

Vote now for 2015 SABR Analytics Conference Research Award winners | SABR

Tonight is the deadline. Last chance to vote!

ESPN: Yankees To Retire Andy Pettitte’s Number

Some Core Four ceremonies coming up:

Andy Pettitte will have his No. 46 retired by the New York Yankees and receive a plaque in Monument Park, a source confirmed to ESPN.com. Pettitte will become the 18th member of the Yankees to have his number retired. Pettitte was known for his big-game performance, helping the Yankees win five championships during his career.
.  .  .
Pettitte finished his career with a 256-153 record and 3.85 ERA. With the help of the expanded playoff format, he has won more ...

Victor Sanchez, Mariner prospect, has been seriously injured in a boating accident

This news has also been confirmed by the Tacoma News Tribune, also by Jeff Passan via Twitter. Most sources seem agree he is in ICU and it was a head injury. Apparently he was hit by a boat while swimming in the ocean. Best wishes to Mr. Sanchez and his family.

The 50 most fascinating figures in baseball | New York Post

Joel Sherman makes a list.

Could Alex Gordon have scored in the World Series? Watch our re-enactment of the play

The rewind: Giants center fielder Gregor Blanco misplayed Gordon’s base hit and the ball rolled to the wall at Kauffman Stadium, where left fielder Juan Perez complicated matters by mishandling it. Gordon kept running, not always at full go, until given the stop sign by Royals third-base coach Mike Jirschele.

What if Gordon had kept motoring and tried to score from third?

The answer remains forever unknown. But the wondering will never cease.

In that spirit, the Rockhurst University ...

A Yankees target, Cuban star Yoan Moncada nearing decision | New York Post

I will be shocked if Moncada doesn’t end up with the Yankees.

Preller follows his own map | UTSanDiego.com

Winners never sleep.

The strategies and secrets of a five-time fantasy baseball experts-league champ - Fantasy Baseball - ESPN

A lot of good advice for fantasy players.

Sunday Notes: Coaching Salaries on the Farm, Bullpen Scatalogy, Cards STEP, more | FanGraphs Baseball

I have a hammer. I don’t use my hammer to scramble eggs. That doesn’t mean my hammer is useless.

Colleagues sometimes agree to disagree. That happened this earlier this week, when Mike Petriello and I had a brief back-and-forth on Twitter. Referring to a Jeff Sullivan piece on Ben Revere, Mike called outfield assists “a hilariously useless stat.”

I responded that no stat is useless when taken into context. Delving into “Kill the win” territory, I said I’d rather know Denny McLain won ...

LeBreton: Forget sabermetrics, Rangers should be much-improved team

Good thing Daniel Okrent never dined at the Le Bretôn Française restaurant.

With the newsstand costs rising to $7.99, of course, most of the preseason periodicals truly are no longer worth the paper they were printed on. Yet, their popularity persists, because with the rise of fantasy baseball has come a surge of championing preseason projections, the fair-haired child of the game’s shotgun analytics marriage.

Spare me the emails. I enjoy baseball’s new math, and even agree with most of ...

Get ready for an awkward spring training with the Phillies

The ghosts of bad spring trainings past.

As camp nears, Astros’ focus shifts from future to present - Houston Chronicle

They don’t know what role Gattis will play?

“There’s a few questions, but more about what specific role they’re going to play,” Luhnow said. “What role Evan Gattis is going to play, what role Chris Carter is going to play, those are two fundamental questions we need to answer because there’s only one DH position. So that’s a big piece for us.

Starlin Castro’s changes in approach - Beyond the Box Score

Breaking down Starlin Castro.

Yankees’ big plan to harness Nathan Eovaldi’s 100-mph heat | New York Post

The article forgets to talk about one thing…the plan.